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All I Ask (Adele song)
| format = Digital download | recorded = | studio = Glenwood Recording Studios, Los Angeles | venue = | genre = | length = | label = XL | writer = | producer = The Smeezingtons }} "All I Ask" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her third studio album, 25 (2015). The song was written by Adele, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown, with production from The Smeezingtons. Lyrically, the song describes the singer looking for one last night with her partner, before the couple separate from each other. "All I Ask" peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 77 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Adele performed it during Adele Live in New York City, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. It was performed on selected dates of her Adele Live 2016 tour. Background and composition "All I Ask" was written by Adele Adkins, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown, with production from The Smeezingtons. During Adele's sessions with Mars, the pair had attempted to create an uptempo song, but Adele selected, instead, "All I Ask". https://www.musicconnection.com/songwriter-profile-brody-brown-bruno-mars-adele-mark-ronson/ The song, which is a piano ballad, sees Adele addressing her partner on what she knows will be their final night together, and processing the end of their relationship. The National Rob Garratt observed "tidy, fast piano patterns" and referred to it as a "datedly derivative ballad". Mars stated that once "we hit a couple chords that she liked, we started rolling and that's where we got that song from". He also revealed that they "fought over one line in the second verse", due to the word "lovers". Nevertheless, Adele wanted to keep it, Mars agreed and said that it "makes the song bigger because no one says it". The track was finished in two sessions. Inspired by singer-songwriter Billy Joel, "All I Ask" strips back instrumentation to piano only and has been described as different from the rest of "modern pop". According to Gareth James of Clash, the song is designed to be "performed at the semi-finals of some faceless talent show by the favourite, all emotive key changes and long vowels". Hannah McKee of Stuff.co.nz referred to "All I Ask" as a "love ballad revolving around themes of melancholia". The song is written in the key of E major (and changes to F major at the third chorus) with a tempo of 71 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of E–G m–Asus2–B in the verses, and Adele's vocals span from E3 to D5. Critical reception "All I Ask" was well received by most music critics. Yahoo! News' Liz Rowley wrote that the song leaves the listener with "a solid sense of accepting love lost, and clears up the dreadful finality that resignation brings with it," and stated that it "arrives at an emotional plane that's devastating yet utterly relatable". Christina Garibaldi of MTV wrote that it is an emotional "song of desperation" and that the listener can feel Adele's "heart break into a million pieces". Neil McCormick of The Telegraph described "All I Ask" as a "deep, resonant piano ballad". Tom Breihan of Stereogum called "All I Ask" a "weeper" and likened it to the work of American singer Barbra Streisand. Slate s Forrest Wickman stated that the singer "seeks one last night with a lover, before they part their separate ways". As part of a positive review of 25, Andy Gill of The Independent wrote that Adele seems to be "jinxing a relationship for the sake of one last memory". The New York Times Jon Caramanica listed "All I Ask" as the fifth best song of 2015. In a rave review, he observed a palpable gear shift and called the song a "masterpiece", adding that it is "even bigger than the legend". Natalie Finn of E! considered the song's lyrics "It matters how this ends / cause what if I never love again?" as the most emotional from 25. Vanity Fair s Josh Duboff opined that an album listener was most likely to sing "All I Ask" "in their shower again and again". Chart performance Following the release of 25, "All I Ask" debuted and peaked at numbers 66 and 46 on the French Singles Chart and Spanish Singles Charts respectively. It also debuted at number 60 on the Scottish Singles Chart and at number 77 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In January 2016, the song entered at number 65 on the Australian Singles Chart, number 21 on the Finnish Download Chart, number 93 on the Irish Singles Chart and number 41 on the UK Singles Chart. It subsequently rose to a new peak on the Scottish Singles Chart, reaching number 12. On Canadian Digital Songs, "All I Ask" managed to reach number 34. The song was successful on the Netherlands Digital Songs chart, peaking at number eight. It had similar success on Sweden Digital Songs, reaching number nine. "All I Ask" subsequently reached number five on the UK Indie Songs chart issue dated 22 January 2016. Live performances Adele performed the song on Adele Live in New York City, which was recorded at Radio City Music Hall on 17 November 2015 and broadcast on NBC on 14 December 2015. In a positive review, Lily Karlin of Huffington Post referred to it as "honestly unreal" and a performance "for the ages". Meanwhile, Elle s Alyssa Bailey described the performance as "breathtaking" and opined that the listener would be "blown away" by Adele's voice. Adele also performed the song on The Late Late Show with James Corden during the "Carpool Karaoke" segment. A month later, Adele performed "All I Ask" at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on 15 February 2016. That performance garnered some criticism due to technical issues with the sound, caused by the piano microphones. In response to the incident, she posted an explanation on Twitter: "The piano mics fell on to the piano strings, that's what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune.". Two days later, Adele performed "All I Ask" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. This performance was also well received. Rappler wrote that Adele "slayed" the song on Ellen. Ella Ceron of Teen Vogue shared that opinion, writing "She slays it, naturally", and adding that she performed the song with all the power and emotion "we've come to expect" from her. It was performed on selected dates of her Adele Live 2016 tour. Bruno Mars and his band, The Hooligans, covered the song during the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on 2 November 2016.https://ew.com/article/2016/11/02/bruno-mars-covers-adele-all-i-ask/ Credits and personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of 25 Locations *Recorded at Glenwood Recording Studios, Los Angeles, United States *Mixed at Electric Lady Studios, New York City, United States Personnel *Adele – songwriting, lead vocals *Bruno Mars – songwriting *Philip Lawrence – songwriting *Christopher Brody Brown – songwriting, piano *The Smeezingtons – production *Charles Moniz – engineering *Jacob Dennis – engineering assistant *Tom Elmhirst – mixing *Joe Visciano – mixing assistant *Greg Phillinganes – piano Charts Certifications and sales References External links * Category:2010s ballads Category:2015 songs Category:Adele songs Category:Pop ballads Category:Song recordings produced by The Smeezingtons Category:Songs written by Adele Category:Songs written by Bruno Mars Category:Songs written by Christopher Brody Brown Category:Songs written by Philip Lawrence (songwriter)